Bombast and Bravado – and just who are you calling “riff-raff”?

Korean News, the public face of the North Korean government offers a daily menu of just about the most colorful propaganda available anywhere. In today’s posting “National Defence Commission Issues Statement” the DPRK warns the world not to take any action retaliating for the alleged torpedo attack on a South Korean naval warship. Fair enough – it’s sabre rattling and diplomats, journalists and analysts closely read these pages carefully noting even slight variations in words and phrases as indications of true policy.

Here’s how they drive their point home, “It is our invariable iron will to react to “retaliation” with more powerful retaliation and to “punishment” with indiscriminate punishment of our style.

Availing ourselves of this opportunity, we sternly warn the U.S. and Japanese authorities and riff-raffs, their poor lackeys, to act with discretion.

The world will clearly see what dear price the group of traitors will have to pay for the clumsy “conspiratorial farce” and “charade” concocted to stifle compatriots.”

Well, I hope their not calling either me and you riff-raffs. And certainly not on a Friday. We might justifiably take umbrage. We can safely presume they’ll have more to say through diplomatic channels but for sheer propaganda, this is unadulterated mastery.